What does Elizabeth urges John to do?

John Proctor sits down to dinner with his wife, Elizabeth. Mary Warren, their servant, has gone to the witch trials, defying Elizabeth’s order that she remain in the house. Fourteen people are now in jail. If these accused witches do not confess, they will be hanged. Whoever Abigail and her troop name as they go into hysterics is arrested for bewitching the girls.

Proctor can barely believe the craze, and he tells Elizabeth that Abigail had sworn her dancing had nothing to do with witchcraft. Elizabeth wants him to testify that the accusations are a sham. He says that he cannot prove his allegation because Abigail told him this information while they were alone in a room. Elizabeth loses all faith in her husband upon hearing that he and Abigail were alone together. Proctor demands that she stop judging him. He says that he feels as though his home is a courtroom, but Elizabeth responds that the real court is in his own heart.

When Mary Warren returns home, she gives Elizabeth a doll that she sewed in court, saying that it is a gift. She reports that thirty-nine people now stand accused. John and Mary argue over whether Mary can continue attending the trials. He threatens to whip her, and Mary declares that she saved Elizabeth’s life that day. Elizabeth’s name was apparently mentioned in the accusations (Mary will not name the accuser), but Mary spoke out in Elizabeth’s defense. Proctor instructs Mary to go to bed, but she demands that he stop ordering her around. Elizabeth, meanwhile, is convinced that it was Abigail who accused her of witchcraft, in order to take her place in John’s bed.

Hale visits the Proctors because he wants to speak with everyone whose name has been mentioned in connection with witchcraft. He has just visited Rebecca Nurse. Hale proceeds to ask questions about the Christian character of the Proctor home. He notes that the Proctors have not often attended church and that their youngest son is not yet baptized. Proctor explains that he does not like Parris’s particular theology. Hale asks them to recite the Ten Commandments. Proctor obliges but forgets the commandment prohibiting adultery.

At Elizabeth’s urging, Proctor informs Hale that Abigail told him that the children’s sickness had nothing to do with witchcraft. Taken aback, Hale replies that many have already confessed. Proctor points out that they would have been hanged without a confession. Giles and Francis rush into Proctor’s home, crying that their wives have been arrested. Rebecca is charged with the supernatural murders of Mrs. Putnam’s babies. A man bought a pig from Martha Corey and it died not long afterward; he wanted his money back, but she refused, saying that he did not know how to care for a pig. Every pig he purchased thereafter died, and he accused her of bewitching him so that he would be incapable of keeping one alive.

Ezekiel Cheever and Herrick, the town marshal, arrive with a warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest. Hale is surprised because, last he heard, Elizabeth was not charged with anything. Cheever asks if Elizabeth owns any dolls, and Elizabeth replies that she has not owned dolls since she was a girl. Cheever spies the doll Mary Warren gave her. He finds a needle inside it. Cheever relates that Abigail had a fit at dinner in Parris’s house that evening. Parris found a needle in her abdomen, and Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft. Elizabeth brings Mary downstairs. Mary informs the inquisitors that she made the doll while in court and stuck the needle in it herself.

As Elizabeth is led away, Proctor loses his temper and rips the warrant. He asks Hale why the accuser is always considered innocent. Hale appears less and less certain of the accusations of witchcraft. Proctor tells Mary that she has to testify in court that she made the doll and put the needle in it. Mary declares that Abigail will kill her if she does and that Abigail would only charge him with lechery. Proctor is shocked that Abigail told Mary about the affair, but he demands that she testify anyway. Mary cries hysterically that she cannot.

Analysis

Abigail and her troop have achieved an extremely unusual level of power and authority for young, unmarried girls in a Puritan community. They can destroy the lives of others with a mere accusation, and even the wealthy and influential are not safe. Mary Warren is so full of her newfound power that she feels able to defy Proctor’s assumption of authority over her. She invokes her own power as an official of the court, a power that Proctor cannot easily deny.

Read quotes from Act II that demonstrate how the trials are affecting the townspeople.

Proctor’s sense of guilt begins to eat away at him. He knows that he can bring down Abigail and end her reign of terror, but he fears for his good name if his hidden sin of adultery is revealed. The pressing knowledge of his own guilt makes him feel judged, but Elizabeth is correct when she points out that the judge who pursues him so mercilessly is himself. Proctor has a great loathing for hypocrisy, and, here, he judges his own hypocrisy no less harshly than that of others.

Read more about how Proctor’s guilt over the affair foreshadows his fate.

Proctor’s intense dilemma over whether to expose his own sin to bring down Abigail is complicated by Hale’s decision to visit everyone whose name is even remotely associated with the accusations of witchcraft. Hale wants to determine the character of each accused individual by measuring it against Christian standards. His invasion of the home space in the name of God reveals the essential nature of the trials—namely, to root out hidden sins and expose them. Any small deviation from doctrine is a reason for suspicion. Proctor tries to prove the upright character of his home by reciting the Ten Commandments. In forgetting to name adultery, however, just as he “forgot” it during his affair with Abigail, he not only exposes the deficiency of his Christian morality but also suggests the possibility that his entire household has succumbed to the evil influence of the devil and witchcraft.

Read about the parallels between the witch trials and McCarthyism.

When Proctor asks indignantly why the accusers are always automatically innocent, he comments upon the essential attractiveness of taking the side of the accusers. Many of the accusations have come through the ritual confession of guilt—one confesses guilt and then proves one’s “innocence” by accusing others. The accusing side enjoys a privileged position of moral virtue from this standpoint. Proctor laments the lack of hard evidence, but, of course (as Danforth will later point out), in supernatural crimes, the standards of evidence are not as hard and fast. The only “proof” is the word of the alleged victims of witchcraft. Thus, to deny these victims’ charges is almost a denial of the existence of witchcraft itself—quite a heretical claim. Therefore, those who take the side of the accusers can enjoy the self-justifying mission of doing God’s will in rooting out the devil’s work, while those who challenge them are threatening the very foundations of Salem society.

Read an essay about Arthur Miller and the Red Scare.

Hale, meanwhile, is undergoing an internal crisis. He clearly enjoyed being called to Salem because it made him feel like an expert. His pleasure in the trials comes from his privileged position of authority with respect to defining the guilty and the innocent. However, his surprise at hearing of Rebecca’s arrest and the warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest reveals that Hale is no longer in control of the proceedings. Power has passed into the hands of others, and as the craze spreads, Hale begins to doubt its essential justice.

Read more about how Hale's sense of goodness is challenged as the play progresses.

Many readers have the same question about  Act 2 of The Crucible: why does Elizabeth want John to go to Salem? This article provides both short and long answers to this question. It should help you to understand the reasoning behind her request, why it changes slightly over the course of the act, and how it connects to the lingering tension in their marriage.   

Why Is This Question Tricky?

This question addresses an important but somewhat confusing aspect of the plot in Act 2. John and Elizabeth Proctor have several one-on-one conversations in this act that introduce the audience to the issues in their marriage that have arisen as a result of John's affair. Elizabeth asks John to go to Salem twice, changing her request slightly when she learns additional information about the court proceedings from Mary. Her first request is driven by an urgent concern for the others who have been accused, but her second request is an even more dire plea as she realizes that she herself is in danger from the trials. We'll look at what the different requests are and why Elizabeths makes them from both a practical and psychological standpoint.

Short Answer

Elizabeth initially wants John to go to Salem so he can testify that Abigail told him Betty’s illness had nothing to do with witchcraft. When Elizabeth finds out from Mary that she was accused in court, however, she decides she wants John to speak with Abigail directly. She says he must tell Abigail that they will never enter into a romatic relationship again. Elizabeth hopes this will dissuade Abigail from making additional false accusations designed to remove her from the picture.

Elizabeth's hope is that John will be willing to set the record straight, first on an official level and then on a personal level. This is the only way he can prove his loyalty to her over Abigail. As she says, “I will be your only wife, or no wife at all!” (pg. 59) For Elizabeth, this is about more than just protecting herself from accusations. It symbolizes John's renewed commitment to their marriage and the final nail in the coffin for his infatuation with Abigail. 

Long Answer

Elizabeth Proctor first urges John Proctor to go to Salem so he can testify that Abigail and the other girls are frauds. John knows this to be a fact because when he and Abigail spoke alone in Act 1, Abigail scoffed at the suggestion that Betty’s illness had anything to do with witchcraft.  

Here’s the exact exchange between John and Abigail (on page 20):

PROCTOR: The road past my house is a pilgrimage to Salem all morning. The town’s mumbling witchcraft.

ABIGAIL: Oh, posh! We were dancin’ in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She took fright, is all.

John is hesitant to go into town and produce this evidence because he’s not sure he will be believed. It’s his word against Abigail's. He says, “If the girl’s a saint now, I think it is not so easy to prove she’s fraud, and the town gone so silly. She told it to me in a room alone - I have no proof for it” (pg. 51). 

Elizabeth is frustrated because she believes that some of his reluctance really stems from the fact that he still has feelings for Abigail. She says, “John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not” (pg. 52). Her trust in him is shaken by the fact that he spoke with Abigail alone, a detail that he kept to himself until now. Elizabeth needs John to give his testimony discrediting Abigail to prove that he has moved on from her and his loyalties aren’t divided (and because it’s the honest thing to do).

After Mary Warren reveals that Elizabeth was accused briefly during that day’s trial, Elizabeth’s request regarding John’s visit to Salem changes. She sees that the situation is more dire than they originally thought; her life may actually be in danger because of Abigail’s vendetta against her. She now wants John to go to Salem so he can speak with Abigail and tell her that the two of them will never end up together under any circumstances. She knows that Abigail wants her out of the picture so that she can take her place as John’s wife. If Abigail hears directly from John that this will never happen, she might be persuaded to give up her charade. Elizabeth urges, “Whatever promise she may sense - break it, John, break it” (pg. 59).

She understands that the hysteria surrounding the trials has grown to a point where addressing the root of the problem (Abigail) may be more effective than attempting to convince the court officials that the girls are lying. Also, if John speaks to Abigail himself, Abigail won't be able to mistake his intentions in the future. If he's willing to do this, it will prove to Elizabeth that he really is done with the affair psychologically as well as physically.  

Summary: Why Does Elizabeth Want John to Go to Salem?

Ok, let's recap the answer to this question with some snappy bullet points:

• Elizabeth originally wants John to go to Salem so he can tell the court that he knows the girls are lying.
• Then, when she finds out she was accused in court, she wants him to go to Salem to speak directly with Abigail. 
• Elizabeth makes these requests with an eye towards correcting injustice and saving her own life.
• However, she also has a more emotional motive, which is to force John to show his loyalty to her and fully renounce his connection to Abigail. 

What's Next?

Want more details about what exactly happens in Act 2 of The Crucible? Check out our full summary of Act 2, including key quotes and thematic analysis. 

We've also written in-depth analyses that focus on the main characters of the play. Read a complete breakdown of John Proctor's relationships, motivations, and personality traits. 

Looking for some good quotes to include in your essay for English class? We have a full list of the most important quotes in The Crucible along with explanations of their thematic relevance. 

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